In the last 5 years or so, the healthy eating scene in Birmingham has definitely expanded and today there are more options than ever available for healthy eaters. From healthy restaurants to healthy takeaways and cafes, you are really spoiled for choice.

To make things easier for you I have decided to list some of the best healthy eating places and restaurants in Birmingham and have also included healthy highlights from their menus.

Some of these restaurants I have personally visited, while for others I haven’t had that opportunity yet. Nevertheless, I have something good to say about them all, so do scroll down and check them out all before deciding on your next place to eat out in Birmingham.

So whether you are after a healthy restaurant where you can unwind or a healthy takeaway when you are on the go, here are the healthy eating places and restaurants to consider in Birmingham:

Comptoir Libanais

Comptoir Libanais is a place to enjoy authentic Middle Eastern food which is healthy, fresh and affordable. The restaurant aims to cater for everyone so they have a menu with over 55% vegetarian dishes and their menu is also 30% vegan. They also have a Children’s menu.

The restaurant has branches across the country, including Birmingham, Manchester and London with more branches opening this year.

Their colourful salads and freshly rolled warm wraps are popular as takeaway lunches for office workers, but where the restaurant truly celebrates its roots and culture is through its spread of fresh, vibrant salads and vegetables, grilled and slow-cooked meats, steamed couscous, pickles, dips, olives and of course their desserts, baklava and tea which you can have as a treat.

I have visited this restaurant recently and I was really impressed. This is the kind of food I would eat often as my partner is from the Middle East so I have a good idea of what a good Middle Eastern food tastes like (I have visited several similar restaurants in the past).

Comptoir Libanais restaurant offers really high-quality authentic dishes which I had no complaints about. For the starter, we had a mezze platter with a delicious baba ganoush and the smoothest hummus. The falafel was just perfect, not dry at all and really tasty. Tabbouleh (parsley salad) was just the way it should be (with little bulgur wheat) and the rest of mezzes were delicious too. For the main, I chose Aubergine Tagine with chickpeas, tomatoes and couscous. Lovely dish, full of flavour! And finally, the dessert was the most amazing cheesecake I’ve ever had, Mango and Vanilla Cheesecake, totally out of this world. This is a great restaurant which I highly recommend.

Address: Unit 29, Grand Central, Stephenson Place, Birmingham, B2 4BF

PHO Birmingham Grand Central

Pho is a Vietnamese street food restaurant serving up an amazing array of healthy dishes to choose from. From their trademark pho noodle soup to their rice bowls, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Pho. All of their food is freshly prepared at their restaurant each morning (no central kitchens), and their soups and salads are very low calorie but packed full of flavour.

Pho are accredited by Coeliac UK and over a quarter of their menu is vegan. Very little dairy is used in Vietnamese cooking, so it’s a fantastic destination for vegan and vegetarian diners.

Pho has been in operation for over 10 years and they have branches all over the UK, including Manchester, Oxford and London. And let’s not forget Birmingham!

Address: Pho, Grand Central, Stephenson Place, Birmingham, B2 4XJ

Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party is a cafe where you can eat healthy dishes made with high quality, ethically sourced ingredients. The food is made on site, from scratch and they have a good selection of vegan options on their menu (with new options available from 8th Nov).

This is the place to go for a healthier full English breakfast (it’s baked, not fried) which you can enjoy any time of the day.

Located in an old beautiful building in Birmingham, the place is full of character and makes a wonderful place to eat, relax and socialise. I shouldn’t say that but they have a good selection of cakes (vegan also).

Boston Tea Party is a breastfeeding friendly cafe with a kids menu available. Apart from the branch in central Birmingham, they also have branches in Edgbaston, Solihull and Harborne (and in some other locations across the UK).

Address:190 Corporation St, Birmingham, B4 6QD

Yakinori – Japanese Noodle and Bento Bar

Only the freshest ingredients and traditional techniques are used to craft each dish with all food cooked fresh on-site each day. Most of their dishes are healthy and nearly all feature freshly cooked vegetables making them a healthy food choice. Many of their dishes are served with pickled ginger (good for your gut), and they have it freely available for people to enjoy as a palette cleanser. Diners can also order pickled vegetables off their menu.

Yakinori also offer an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu available to their diners which features delicious veggie/vegan alternatives to many of the dishes on their main menu for diners with specific dietary requirements, or for those wishing to pick a healthier option.

Diners can relax and unwind in Yakinori vibrant restaurants or opt for a quick and tasty ‘Yakinori Express’ box to take away. All Yakinori restaurants feature an exciting open kitchen where you can watch your dishes being freshly prepared.

LEON Healthy Fast Food Restaurant

I visited LEON healthy fast food restaurant for the first time quite a few years back and I loved it. This is a healthy restaurant but at the same time it’s a takeaway as well. It’s up to you whether you want to sit down and eat your food peacefully or can take it out with you if you are on the go. This is a perfect place to visit if you want something quick and healthy but don’t want to wait too long before getting your food served.

Today, you can find LEON restaurants in all kind of cities although they are mostly London-based. In the past few years, this healthy restaurant chain has been expanding out of London so you may find them in some smaller cities too.

What I love about LEON healthy fast food restaurant:LEON make their food fresh daily and buy fair-trade and organic products when possible. Their coffee is fair-trade & organic and their milk and porridge oats are also organic. They are a perfect place for a healthy breakfast and great if all you want is just a coffee. They offer gluten-free options, vegan meals and dairy-free dishes.

The Warehouse Cafe

The Warehouse Cafe is Birmingham’s original vegetarian restaurant and winner of both the 2016 & 2017 Midlands Food & Hospitality awards.

I have visited them quite a few years back and from the dishes I had, I remember they were very flavoursome and not boring at all although they were vegetarian. Warehouse Cafe knows how to bring vegetables to life.

While they do have a fixed menu, the dishes change from time to time depending on the availability of seasonal and fresh ingredients. The best is to check their Specials menu which is displayed inside and may change daily.

The Warehouse Cafe has recently moved from the first floor of the building to the ground floor so the restaurant is now wheelchair-friendly and much more accessible than before. The restaurant is also breastfeeding-friendly.

Zizzi

Zizzi is an Italian restaurant chain with more than 140 restaurants across the UK & Ireland.

While you may not think of healthy food when thinking of Italian food, Zizzi definitely have some lovely healthy options. They cater for all kind of dietary needs and have plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes available. They even have a dedicated vegan menu.

I really like it that Zizzi even offer an option to have wholewheat or gluten-free pasta instead of the usual white. I haven’t come across this before so I think this is what really sets them apart from other Italian restaurants and of course, it gives you an option to make healthier choices.

There are actually two Zizzi branches in Birmingham, one in Brindleyplace (3 Brindleyplace, B1 2JB) and one in The Mailbox (B1 1RL).

Wrapchic

Wrapchic is a healthy takeaway providing fresh, healthy and authentic Indian street cuisine in a Mexican style with Indian flavours. They also offer some nice healthy options for breakfast such as porridge and vegan sausage. You can either eat the food in or take it away. This healthy takeaway is based in Bullring Grand Central and convenient if you are in a rush and want something quick and healthy. What I really like about them is that they have “no fry” policy which makes their dishes much healthier. Also worth noting, all meat products produced by Wrapchic are Halal with certification available onsite.

Pizza Express: their Leggera Menu offers lighter pizza, pasta & salad for less than 600 calories. Their Leggera pizza base is made with a wholemeal dough recipe; the hole in the middle filled with a dressed mixed salad. Many dishes are gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan.

Wagamama: fresh Japanese and Asian food with lots of vegan options

Yo Sushi: Japanese street food and sushi dishes which you can eat in or take away. Lots of vegan options.

Pret A Manager: a good place to go for organic tea and coffee. Great veggie menu with lots of healthy options (soups, salads, wraps), perfect for lunch.

Fressh – Healthy fast food restaurant with a plant-based menu for all. Some amazing healthy options for breakfast and lunch (5 City Arcade)

So these are my top picks of healthy eating places in Birmingham and I am sure there are even more places that I could include but I think this gives you enough choice for now, maybe even too much choice!

Is your favourite healthy restaurant on this list? If not, let me know and I will add it in. This list of healthy restaurants in Birmingham is definitely not final and I will try to expand it over time.